FSU’s future in WPB still unclear, four companies discussing partnerships

Florida’s Board of Governors will form a committee to decide Florida State University’s future in West Palm Beach, leaving the digital arts program still waiting to hear its fate.

FSU President Eric Barron said the school is in discussions with four companies that are considering moving to West Palm Beach to set up a collaboration with the program similar to what the now defunct-Digital Domain had.

The companies include the Sierra Nevada Corporation, a technology company that works in security, health and communications, Watermark Medical, a privately-held healthcare information technology company, and Olympusat, a cable and satellite network company.

A fourth company is only known publicly by its codename, Pod 15.

“The point here is this is an opportunity for this state to attract a completely different industry that has a broad set of employment opportunities,” Barron told board members.

The timeline for a decision from the committee, which will be formed tomorrow, is unknown at this time.

While Board of Governor Chairman Dean Colson said last week that he would like to see the digital arts program return to Tallahassee, there was little discussion and no questions at today’s board meeting.

Barron told board members that FSU will “accept the advice of the Board of Governors” in determining what happens to the program.